Warming cell pattern for garments and other outdoor equipment

ABSTRACT

A warming cell pattern is provided that may be arranged on an interior portion of a garment or other outdoor equipment to improve the warming qualities of the garment or equipment. The warming cells may take on a number of shapes, sizes, and patterns, but they are preferably cube-shaped and arranged in a “running-bond” or offset brick-like pattern so that vertical and horizontal channels are formed between adjacent cells. When the garment is worn or the equipment is used, an air-filled space may be formed by the channels and the user&#39;s body. Because air is a strong insulator, the air-filled pockets retain heat so that the jacket or garment including the warming cell pattern will have improved warming properties.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/754,506, filed Nov. 1, 2018, entitled “WARMING CELL PATTERN FORGARMENTS AND OTHER OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT,” currently pending. The entiredisclosure, including the specification and drawings, of theabove-referenced application is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to garments and/or other outdoorequipment, and more particularly to a pattern of warming cells that maybe used to improve the heat retention and warming properties of garmentsand/or other outdoor equipment.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Both down insulation and synthetic insulation are often used as heatinsulators in coats, pants, gloves, comforters, sleeping bags, and thelike. Such insulation can affect warmth, weight, water resistance,compressibility, and price of garments and/or sleeping bags.

Down insulation is made up of the plumage found underneath the exteriorfeathers on waterfowl such as ducks and geese. The down insulationconsists of soft, fluffy, wispy filaments, and not feathers, althoughsome products use a blend of down and feathers. Down insulates bytrapping air and is desired because it is lightweight, easy to compress,long-lasting, and breathable.

Synthetic insulation is popular for its strong overall performance andlower price compared to down. Synthetic insulation is typically made ofpolyester, is quick-drying, and insulates even if it is wet.Furthermore, synthetic insulation is durable and hypoallergenic.

Some manufacturers make garments and/or sleeping bags with a combinationof down and synthetic insulations. Such a hybrid construction canprovide the benefits of both materials while limiting each material'simperfections.

In garments and/or sleeping bags, down and/or synthetic insulation isoften quilted in a grid-like fashion where different “pockets” of downmaterial are sewn apart from one another but adjacent to one another.Alternatively, in garments and/or sleeping bags that are made in the“puffer-style,” elongated sections, or baffles, of quilted down are sewnadjacent to one another. This design is often provided on both theinterior and exterior of a garment and/or outdoor equipment. Forexample, both the interior and exterior of a jacket or a sleeping bagmay be of the “puffer-style.”

For garments or sleeping bags with such quilted down patterns, when thegarment is worn or the sleeping bag is slept in, portions of the quiltedsections may be compressed. With the particular sections compressed,whether they are fashioned as square, diamond, or other shapes, or ifthey are provided as elongated sections, the insulation associated withany particular section is also compressed. Compressed sections ofinsulation make the layer between a person wearing or using the garmentor sleeping bag thinner and thus less insulating in quality. Thinnersections of the garment caused by compression are thus colder than othersections, decreasing the overall performance of the garment or sleepingbag.

Such decreases in performance are further exacerbated by the downsections being exposed to each of the interior and exterior of thegarment or sleeping bag. When a down section is compressed, that sectionplaces only a thin barrier of material between the wearer and the coldatmosphere. A solution is desired that keeps a wearer or user of adown-insulated garment or other outdoor equipment warm, but is lesssusceptible to the decrease in performance caused by compression in adown section that is present on the interior and exterior of a garmentor sleeping bag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention disclosed herein improves upon prior art systems designedto increase the warmth of garments and other outdoor equipment. Moreparticularly, the invention uses a number of warming cells arranged in apattern to warm and insulate the interior portion of a jacket, sleepingbag, or the like.

In a first embodiment, the warming cells are formed as three dimensionalcubes having four equal sides. The cube-shaped warming cells arepreferably independently formed and are spaced apart from one anothersuch that an air channel is formed completely around each cell. Thewarming cells may be provided in a range of heights from about ¼ inch to3 inches, and they may be the same height within a single product. Eachof the warming cells is preferably stuffed with goose or duck down, afeatherless material, synthetic material, or a combination thereof.

When pressure is applied by a wearer or user, the cube-shaped warmingcells preferably lose less heat than the long baffles of the prior art.They are better able to keep the down in place because the individualwarming cells are formed as smaller cells, and as such, even if one cellis compressed, other surrounding cells are not necessarily compressed.

The cube-shaped warming cells are preferably arranged in a “runningbond” brick-like pattern. More particularly, the warming cells areplaced end to end in a particular row, with vertical channels formedbetween the sides of warming cells next to one another within that samerow. In any particular row, the vertical channels align with the middleof a warming cell on a row above or below the particular row.

This “running bond” pattern is a well-known and understood pattern inother industries including the brick and tile laying industries andcreates an offset arrangement between adjacent cells positioned andlocated both above and below a particular cell. Horizontal channels arealso formed between the sides of cube-shaped warming cells in adjacentrows to one another. While the channels may be a variety of widths, theyare preferably between ⅜ and ¼ inches wide.

Both the vertical and horizontal channels play an important role in thewarming properties of the warming cell pattern. When a wearer's or auser's body covers the channels, an air-filled space or pocket is formedby the channels and the person's body. The air pockets may trap andcontain body heat therein to add to the warmth of the garment or outdoorequipment. Because air has strong heat retaining properties, the airpockets improve the heating performance of the interior including thewarming cells.

In alternative embodiments, other cell shapes may be used such asrectangular, triangular, diamond, hexagonal (and other polygons), andthe like. Similarly, a combination of differently shaped warming cellsmay be provided, and the warming cells may be arranged in otherpatterns, including the warming cells having variable thicknesses. Inany given embodiment, the shapes and patterns should produce thechannels that form air pockets when the garment is worn or the equipmentis used.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the various embodiments of the presentinvention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a jacket including an interior warming cellpattern constructed according to the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a first perspective view of the interior warming cell patternof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a second perspective view of the interior warming cell patternof FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a first alternative warming cell patternfor garments and other outdoor equipment;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a second alternative warming cell patternfor garments and other outdoor equipment; and

FIG. 6A is a plan view of a first panel of a garment having anadditional embodiment of a warming cell pattern.

FIG. 6B is a plan view of a second panel of a garment having the warmingcell pattern of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 6C is a plan view of a third panel of a garment having the warmingcell pattern of FIGS. 6A and 6B.

FIG. 7A is a cross-section view taken across line 7A-7A in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7B is a cross-section view taken across line 7B-7B in FIG. 6B.

FIG. 7C is a cross-section view taken across line 7C-7C in FIG. 6C.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the garment illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6Cand 7A-7C assembled and worn by a user.

While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, several but not all specific embodiments thereof areshown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described indetail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detaileddescription presented herein are not intended to limit the disclosure toany particular embodiment disclosed, but to the contrary, the intentionis to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives fallingwithin the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by theappended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawingfigures, in which like reference numerals refer to like partsthroughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristicsof the present invention, proportional relationships of the elementshave not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a jacket 1 having aninterior portion 5 and an exterior portion 10. As shown in FIG. 1, theexterior portion 10 of the jacket 1 includes quilted elongated down orsynthetic sections 15 like those described in the prior art, though inthe case of this particular jacket 1, the down sections 15 do not serveas the principal insulator. The exterior portion 10 is preferably madeof a synthetic material that is commonly used as a “shell layer.”

The interior portion 5 of the jacket 1 preferably includes a pluralityof warming cells 20 that are arranged relative to one another to form apattern that preferably increases the heating properties of the interiorportion 5 of the jacket 1. While the warming cells 20 are illustrated inFIGS. 1-3 on the interior portion 5 of the jacket 1, in otherembodiments, the warming cells 20 may be provided on the interior ofgarments including, but not limited to, pants, gloves, hats, etc., aswell as the interior of outdoor equipment including, but not limited to,sleeping bags, camp pillows, comforters, etc. Furthermore, in yetalternative embodiments, each or only one of the interior portion 5 andthe exterior portion 10 may include the warming cells 20.

Turning to FIGS. 2 and 3, the warming cells 20 and a first embodiment ofa pattern formed by the plurality of warming cells 20 of the interiorportion 5 of the jacket 1 are illustrated in greater detail. In theillustrated embodiments, most of the warming cells 20 are formed asthree dimensional cubes, meaning sides 25 that make up each of thewarming cells 20 are equal in length. In the illustrated embodiment, thewarming cells 20 have sides 25 that measure approximately 4 inches long,but in alternative embodiments, the sides 25 may be a limitless numberof different lengths depending on the application for which the patternof warming cells 20 is being used.

While the height of individual warming cells 20 is not explicitlyillustrated, the cells 20 may be at a height from about ¼ inch to 3inches, and they may be the same height within a single product. Each ofthe warming cells 20 are preferably stuffed with goose or duck down, afeatherless material, synthetic material, or any combination thereof.The warming cells 20 are preferably constructed of a material that isdown- and fiber-proof, meaning neither down nor synthetic fibers is ableto leak through the fabric.

Unlike the long down baffles described in the prior art, the warmingcells 20 preferably keep the down in place when pressure is appliedbecause the individual cells 20 are formed as smaller cells that arenear to one other. As such, even if one warming cell 20 is compressed,the dramatic temperature drop generated by a compressed baffle is notpresent. Moreover, a thermal effect is created when an outer shell orlayer made of synthetic material (or a down, or comparable, outer layer)such as is provided for the exterior portion 10 is combined with aninner shell/layer of down such as the interior portion 5 including thepattern of warming cells 20. There is a dead air chamber formed betweenthese two layers that fills with warm air and thereby maintains a warmertemperature.

It should be noted however, that it is possible to use only the warmingcells 20 without the outside synthetic layer. In such an embodiment, theadditional warming effect provided by the air chamber formed between theouter synthetic layer and the shell/inner layer of down may be absent.Additional heating properties are created by the presence of the spaceformed between adjacent warming cells 20. Such properties are describedin greater detail herein below.

The warming cells 20 are illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 as arranged in a“running bond” brick-like pattern. More particularly, the warming cells20 are placed end to end in a particular row, with vertical channels 30formed between the sides 25 of adjacent warming cells 20 within thatsame row. The purpose of the vertical channels 30 and the benefits theyprovide are described in greater detail below. For a given row, thevertical channels 30 align with the middle of a warming cell 20 on a rowabove or below the given row. For example, in row 35, the verticalchannel 30 a formed next to a side 25 a of the warming cell 20 a alignswith a middle 40 of a warming cell 20 b of a row 45 above the row 35(see FIG. 2). It is recognized and anticipated that the verticalchannels 30 can align with any portion of the above or below warmingcell.

Between adjacent rows such as the rows 35, 45, horizontal channels 50are formed between the sides 25 of warming cells 20. Unlike the verticalchannels 30, the horizontal channels 50 may abut one another so thatthey form one continuous channel between adjacent rows. In a preferredembodiment, the channels 30, 50 are between ¼ and ⅜ inches wide, but inalternative embodiments, the channels 30, 50 may be wider or evensomewhat narrower, or they may be variable in width. Moreover, while thecells 20 are described as being in the “running bond” pattern, inalternative embodiments the warming cells 20 may be arranged in analtogether different pattern.

When the interior portion 5 and more particularly the warming cells 20abut a wearer or user (for example when the jacket 1 is worn), thewearer's body covers the channels 30, 50 such that the channels 30, 50and the wearer's body form an air-filled space or pocket (notillustrated) between the cells 20. This space preferably traps andcontains body heat therein that adds to the warmth of the garment oroutdoor equipment, in this case, the jacket 1. Because air is a betterinsulator than the down itself, the air pockets formed by the channels30, 50 increase the warming qualities of the pattern of warming cells onthe interior portion 5.

In a preferred embodiment, the horizontal channels 50 are formed ascontinuous rather than the vertical channels 30 because air escaping thehorizontal channels 50 is more likely retained in the interior portion 5than in the vertical channels 30, where air is more likely to escapefrom the neck or waist openings provided in a jacket such as the jacket1. Even still, in a non-limiting alternative embodiment, the patternshown in FIGS. 2 and 3 may be rotated by 90 degrees (not illustrated) sothat the vertical channels form a continuous channel rather than thehorizontal channels.

Other cell shapes may be used such as rectangles, triangles, diamonds,and the like to form warming cells. For example, at an upper portion 55of the jacket 1, rectangular warming cells 60 are provided above a rowof cube-shaped warming cells 20. Those rectangular warming cells 60 arearranged above the uppermost row of cube-shaped warming cells 20 in the“running bond” brick-like pattern described above. Thus in someembodiments, including the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, acombination of differently shaped warming cells may be provided. Inother embodiments, only one shape of warming cells may be provided.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, two alternative warming cell shape patterns areprovided that may be utilized in an interior portion of a garment oroutdoor equipment such as the interior portion 5 of the jacket 1.Turning first to FIG. 4, a portion of a warming cell pattern 65 isprovided that is made up of a plurality of three dimensionaltriangle-shaped warming cells 70 each including three sides 75. Threerows 80 a, 80 b, and 80 c of warming cells 70 are shown in the portionof the warming cell pattern 65. As illustrated, each row 80 a, 80 b, and80 c includes each of warming cells 70 a where the triangle's vertex ispointing upwardly and warming cells 70 b where the triangle's vertex ispointing downwardly.

As was the case for the pattern of warming cells 20 described above,channels that form air-filled spaces or pockets when a garment or otheroutdoor equipment is worn or used are located between adjacent cells 70.More particularly, angled channels 85 are formed between adjacenttriangle-shaped warming cells 70 in the same row and horizontal channels90 are formed between triangle-shaped warming cells 70 in one row andtriangle-shaped warming cells 70 in a row above or below a given row.Channels 85 are offset relative to those in adjacent rows 80 a, 80 b,and 80 c, as illustrated in FIG. 4.

As was the case for the warming cells 20, when the warming cells 70 abuta wearer or user (for example when the jacket 1 is worn), the wearer'sbody covers the channels 85, 90 so as to form an air-filled space orpocket (not illustrated) between the cells 70. This space preferablytraps and contains body heat in order to increase the warmth of thegarment or outdoor equipment, such as the jacket 1.

Yet another portion of a warming cell pattern 95 is provided in FIG. 5that may be utilized in an interior portion of a garment or outdoorequipment such as the interior portion 5 of the jacket 1. The warmingcell pattern 95 is composed of a number of hexagon-shaped warming cells100, each of which includes six sides 105. The warming cells 100 arepreferably spaced in the pattern 95 using a known method to place acolumn 110 of cells 100 offset relative to an adjacent column 115. Thiscolumn arrangement may alternate continuously in either direction toform the portion of the pattern 95. In any event, a number of channels120 that run in six different directions are formed around and betweenadjacent sides 105 of adjacent cells 100. Like the warming cells 20, 70,when the warming cells 100 abut a wearer or user (for example when thejacket 1 is worn), the channels 120 are blocked by the wearer to form anair-filled space or pocket (not illustrated) between the cells 100. Thisspace, like the spaces associated with the above described patterns ofwarming cells, preferably traps and contains body heat to increase thewarmth of the garment or outdoor equipment being worn or utilized.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C illustrate three garment panels 125A, 125B, and125C that when attached to one another may form a vest-shaped garmentthat may be worn alone or integrated into a garment such as a jacket orcoat. As illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C, columns 130A, 130B, and130C may be located near the center of a wearer when the panels 125A,125B, and 125C are assembled. The cells 135A, 135B, 135C that make upthe columns 130A, 130B, and 130C, respectively, are nearly rectangularin shape. From an upper portion 140A, 140B, and 140C toward a lowerportion 145A, 145B, and 145C of the panels 125A, 125B, 125C,respectively, the panels 135A may become somewhat smaller in area. Inalternative embodiments, the cells 135A, 135B, 135C may be the same sizeor even increase in size from the upper portions 140A, 140B, 140C towardthe lower portions 145A, 145B, 145C.

Second columns 150A, 150B, 150C and third columns 155A, 155B, 155C mayalso be provided within each panel 125A, 125B, 125C, respectively. Thecells 160A, 160B, 160C and 165A, 165B, 165C that make up the columns150A, 150B, 150C and 155A, 155B, 155C, respectively, may besubstantially quadrilateral. The cells 160A, 160B, 160C also decrease insize from the top portions 140A, 140B, 140C toward the lower portions145A, 145B, 145C. The cells 165A, 165B, 165C may also be quadrilaterals,but in a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C,are elongated as compared to the other cells that make up the panels125A, 125B, 125C.

The panels 125A, 125B, 125C generally include each of horizontalchannels 170A, 170B, 170C and vertical channels 175A, 175B, and 175C,respectively. The channels 170 and 175 that make up the panels 125A,125B, and 125C may be less linear than those provided in otherembodiments. This is because the cells that make up the panels 125A,125B, 125C may be asymmetrical quadrilaterals such as those illustratedin FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C. Nevertheless, the channels 170A, 170B, and 175Cmay function in substantially the same manner as the channels describedhereinabove.

In the illustrated embodiment, the panels 6A and 6C are substantiallymirror images of one another, and the panel 6B is symmetrical about itsvertical axis. In alternative embodiments, this may not be the case, andthe panels 6A and 6C may differ relative to one another moresubstantially.

Turning now to FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C, example embodiments of warmingcells from the panels 125A, 125B and 125C are illustrated. Unlike thecells described above, the cells 135, 160, and 165 that make up thepanels 125 may vary in thickness. For example, as provided in FIG. 7A,the cell 135A is thicker than the cell 160A, which in turn is thickerthan the cell 165A. In FIG. 7B, the cell 135B is thicker than the cells160B, which are thicker than the cells 165B. In FIG. 7C, the cell 135Cis thicker than the cell 160C, which is thicker than the cell 165C insubstantially the same manner as FIG. 7A, though in mirror-image form.The variable shape and thicknesses of the cells 135, 160, and 165 may bephysiologically mapped to the body to conform more easily therewith.

FIG. 8 illustrates a garment 180 that a wearer 185 has donned. Thegarment 180 is embodied as a vest, though it may be just a portion of alarger garment such as a jacket or coat that has integrated the garment180 into its assembled structure. In the garment 180, a plurality ofwarming cells 190 are provided as quadrilaterals having four sides(though alternative geometries are foreseeable and envisioned). In someof the cells 190 such as cell 190A, an upper edge 195 may be at leastpartially curved. In at least some embodiments of the garment 180, moreedges such as the edge 195 may be curved, or fewer edges such as theedge 195 may be curved.

In the garment 180, a variety of horizontal channels 200 and verticalchannels 205 are provided. The channels 200, 205 provide substantiallythe same function as the channels for the above described embodiments.Unlike the previously described channels, however, the channels 200, 205have variable widths across their lengths. Such variation may act tofacilitate flow of air upwards or from side to side, so as to increasethe heat retaining properties of the garment 180.

The warming cells described herein may be attached to the fabric of agarment or other outdoor equipment in a variety of methods. Moreparticularly, the warming cells may be attached to a strip of fabricbefore they are attached to the garment or other outdoor equipment, orthey may be sewn directly onto the garment or other outdoor equipment.The lower portions of the cells may be attached to the garment or otheroutdoor equipment (directly or indirectly) at a turned edge, using anedge stitch. The corners of the cells are also preferably darted.Notwithstanding the above, other foreseeable sewing methods to attachthe warming cells to a garment or other outdoor equipment arecontemplated herein.

The description above identifies the warming cells as being cube,triangle, or hexagon shaped. However, the cells in any particularpattern may take on a number of cross-sectional shapes includingdiamonds, rectangles, octagons (and other polygons), stars, circles,parallelograms, and many others, as well as any combination of shapes.In any event, channels are preferably formed between and around anyshaped cells that are utilized so that those channels may be coveredwhen a garment or other outdoor equipment is worn or utilized. As such,air-filled spaces or pockets are formed by the channels and a user'sbody traps and warms the air in such channels thereby increasing thewarmth of the garment being worn or equipment being utilized.

The description generally provides that warming cells may be in the“core” of a jacket or garment. It should be noted that warming cellssubstantially similar to those described above may also be present in ajacket or garment's hood, sleeves, or anywhere else on a garment.Moreover, as set forth above, the warming cells may also be utilized inequipment such as sleeping bags, blankets, and the like.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the various embodiments of thepresent invention are well adapted to attain all the objectives andadvantages hereinabove set forth together with still other advantageswhich are obvious and which are inherent to the present structures. Itwill be understood that certain features and sub-combinations of thepresent embodiments are of utility and may be employed without referenceto other features and sub-combinations. Since many possible embodimentsof the present invention may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention, it is also to be understood that alldisclosures herein set forth or illustrated in the accompanying drawingsare to be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. The variousconstructions described above and illustrated in the drawings arepresented by way of example only and are not intended to limit theconcepts, principles and scope of the present invention.

As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of thepresent invention are not limited by the particular details of theexamples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that othermodifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur tothose skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similarterms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of“optional” or “may include” and not as “required.”

Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applicationsof the present constructions will, however, become apparent to thoseskilled in the art after considering the specification and theaccompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations andother uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit andscope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention whichis limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cell pattern for a garment or other outdoorequipment, the cell pattern comprising: a portion of a garment or otheroutdoor equipment; a cell pattern arranged on said portion, said cellpattern including a plurality of individual cells positioned in a spacedapart relationship across said portion so as to form an air channelcompletely around each cell, each cell being three-dimensional in shapeand filled with an insulating material.
 2. The cell pattern of claim 1,wherein the individual cells are offset from adjacent cells positionedabove and below a particular cell.
 3. The cell pattern of claim 1,wherein each cell is of a height from about ¼ inch to about 3 inches. 4.The cell pattern of claim 1, wherein the air channel around each cell isof a width from about ¼ inch to about ⅜ inch.
 5. The cell pattern ofclaim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of each cell is square inshape.
 6. The cell pattern of claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shapeof each cell is rectangular in shape.
 7. The cell pattern of claim 1,wherein the cross-sectional shape of each cell is diamond in shape. 8.The cell pattern of claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of eachcell is triangle in shape.
 9. The cell pattern of claim 1, wherein thecross-sectional shape of each cell is polygonal in shape.
 10. The cellpattern of claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of each cell iscircular in shape.
 11. A cell pattern for use in a garment or otheroutdoor equipment, the cell pattern comprising: a plurality ofindividual cells positioned in a spaced apart relationship to oneanother to form at least one of a horizontal air channel and a verticalair channel between adjacent cells, each cell being three-dimensional inshape and filled with an insulating material.
 12. The cell pattern ofclaim 11, wherein the individual cells are offset from adjacent cellspositioned above and below a particular cell.
 13. The cell pattern ofclaim 11, wherein each cell is of a height from about ¼ inch to about 3inches.
 14. The cell pattern of claim 11, wherein the air channel aroundeach cell is of a width from about ¼ inch to about ⅜ inch.
 15. The cellpattern of claim 11, wherein the cross-sectional shape of each cell issquare in shape.
 16. The cell pattern of claim 11, wherein thecross-sectional shape of each cell is rectangular in shape.
 17. The cellpattern of claim 11, wherein the cross-sectional shape of each cell isdiamond in shape.
 18. The cell pattern of claim 11, wherein thecross-sectional shape of each cell is triangle in shape.
 19. The cellpattern of claim 11, wherein the cross-sectional shape of each cell ispolygonal in shape.
 20. The cell pattern of claim 19, wherein thecross-sectional shape of each cell is circular in shape.